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African Blackwood is a very dark brown and often deep black wood that is actually in the rosewood family. The wood is very dense and often has lighter brown strips and grain patterns. Please allow 1 to 2 weeks for delivery.
Posted by Phil on 26th Feb 2012
I got this cutting gauge about a year ago. I do a lot of dovetails and the size of this gauge seemed about right. It proved to be perfect for multiple applications. The cutter is sharp and can make a very deep line. I found this to be a great help in setting the shoulders of tenons because the wood is cut in a very precise line. There is no scratching or tearing of the wood.
The locking and movement of the fence is smooth and secure. The face is longer than a lot of other gauges and is shallow enough to use on stock laid flat on the bench. The recesses on the back of the fence help prevent slipping. . It is much easier to use than the larger gauges.
The only drawbacks are that the cut line may be too precise to see in some woods. The cutting action of the sharp knife leaves a very narrow kerf. I found that highlighting the kerf with a 0.3 mechanical pencil helps me see the line (old eyes?). It can also cut deep quickly so when using this gauge you can make lines that are hard to remove. I don’t worry about them on dovetails – it shows customers that the joint was hand cut rather than machined with a router.
A cutting gauge is a simple tool but I have many other marking and cutting gauges and none come close. This is the one I use the most. If I had three, they would be the only ones I would use.
